Experimental Investigation of energy, exergy and emission characteristics of Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends in CI engine

Experimental Investigation of energy, exergy and emission characteristics of Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends in CI engine | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Experimental Investigation of energy, exergy and emission characteristics of Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends in CI engine Bona Birhanu Chemeda, Samson Mekbib Atnaw, Adem SIraj Mohammed This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The growing global energy demand and depletion of fossil fuels have intensified pollution, motivating the search for renewable and sustainable alternatives such as biodiesel. This study evaluates the energy, exergy, and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine fueled with Croton macrostachyus methyl ester (CMB) biodiesel blends. The biodiesel was produced through transesterification using a novel hybrid calcium–aluminum oxide heterogeneous catalyst. Five fuels—pure diesel (B0) and blends CMB10, CMB15, CMB20, and CMB25—were tested on a single-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine under full load at speeds of 800, 1400, 2000, and 2600 rpm. Results showed that CMB20 achieved the best overall balance among the blends, with a 5.85% lower brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and 3.86% higher brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) than diesel. CMB25 reduced CO₂ emissions by 1.55%, though NOx emissions increased by 8.6%. At 2600 rpm, CMB20 slightly raised the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) by 6.14%, while CMB25 exhibited 18.02% and 13.1% higher exhaust energy and exergy losses, respectively. Cooling water energy and exergy losses rose by 19–31.6% and 6.67–23.8% at lower engine speeds. CMB20 demonstrated 15.4% lower exergy destruction, and the maximum exergy efficiency (20%) was observed for CMB15. Overall, Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends exhibited higher exhaust energy losses but lower exhaust exergy losses than diesel. At low to moderate speeds, CMB20 delivered improved thermodynamic performance and reduced emissions, indicating its potential as an environmentally favorable diesel substitute requiring optimization at higher speeds. Croton macrostachyus Biodiesel Exergy Energy Exergy destruction Performance Emission Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 18 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 14 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 05 May, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 24 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 03 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9314136","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":638854153,"identity":"d54dff82-e167-4094-bf96-414d2d561923","order_by":0,"name":"Bona Birhanu Chemeda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Addis Ababa Science and Technology University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bona","middleName":"Birhanu","lastName":"Chemeda","suffix":""},{"id":638854154,"identity":"c353b056-b410-404c-b9b3-55f5ab2df8d3","order_by":1,"name":"Samson Mekbib Atnaw","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABD0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFADHh6GwwwVMB4b0VrOwFSzEaMNqIWZsY0ILfLtp5M/fNzBEM3Pc/bg4cJ5dvLy83sMGD6UHWbgl2/AqsXgTO42yZlnGHJn9vYlHJ65LdlwwzEeA8YZ5w4zSLZht8WAIXcbM28bQ+6G8zwGh3m3MTNuYOMxAIocZjA4hsNh/W83fwZp2Q/WMqfefn4bUMtfoBZ7HFoYbuRukAbbwtsD1NJwOLEB6DBgOABtweF9gxtvgX5pk8idceZcwuEZx44nbziWVnCw51w6j8SxBBwOy9384WObTW5/T+7hzwU11bbzmw9vfPCjzFqOv/kADpeBgQQqF6SWB5/6UTAKRsEoGAX4AQBzbF9JbyEM6QAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Addis Ababa Science and Technology University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Samson","middleName":"Mekbib","lastName":"Atnaw","suffix":""},{"id":638854155,"identity":"7e04001d-3611-4b11-9eb2-01d1ed75eb6f","order_by":2,"name":"Adem SIraj Mohammed","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Addis Ababa Science and Technology University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adem","middleName":"SIraj","lastName":"Mohammed","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-03 14:54:03","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109151350,"identity":"7ee3ece5-35b6-4e94-b610-e101d53cb250","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-13 05:42:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1891927,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ExergyandEnergyAnalysis1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9314136/v1_covered_c29a7138-ca97-4ee0-bb6b-b20d6f1f2cfb.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Experimental Investigation of energy, exergy and emission characteristics of Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends in CI engine","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-applied-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Applied Sciences](https://link.springer.com/journal/42452)","snPcode":"42452","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/42452/3","title":"Discover Applied Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Croton macrostachyus, Biodiesel, Exergy, Energy, Exergy destruction, Performance, Emission","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe growing global energy demand and depletion of fossil fuels have intensified pollution, motivating the search for renewable and sustainable alternatives such as biodiesel. This study evaluates the energy, exergy, and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine fueled with Croton macrostachyus methyl ester (CMB) biodiesel blends. The biodiesel was produced through transesterification using a novel hybrid calcium\u0026ndash;aluminum oxide heterogeneous catalyst. Five fuels\u0026mdash;pure diesel (B0) and blends CMB10, CMB15, CMB20, and CMB25\u0026mdash;were tested on a single-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine under full load at speeds of 800, 1400, 2000, and 2600 rpm. Results showed that CMB20 achieved the best overall balance among the blends, with a 5.85% lower brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and 3.86% higher brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) than diesel. CMB25 reduced CO₂ emissions by 1.55%, though NOx emissions increased by 8.6%. At 2600 rpm, CMB20 slightly raised the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) by 6.14%, while CMB25 exhibited 18.02% and 13.1% higher exhaust energy and exergy losses, respectively. Cooling water energy and exergy losses rose by 19\u0026ndash;31.6% and 6.67\u0026ndash;23.8% at lower engine speeds. CMB20 demonstrated 15.4% lower exergy destruction, and the maximum exergy efficiency (20%) was observed for CMB15. Overall, Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends exhibited higher exhaust energy losses but lower exhaust exergy losses than diesel. At low to moderate speeds, CMB20 delivered improved thermodynamic performance and reduced emissions, indicating its potential as an environmentally favorable diesel substitute requiring optimization at higher speeds.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Experimental Investigation of energy, exergy and emission characteristics of Croton macrostachyus biodiesel blends in CI engine","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-13 05:40:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9314136/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-18T17:59:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-14T16:58:49+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-13T18:01:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"61828352979842130060023285144793689249","date":"2026-05-12T08:41:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-08T13:25:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"94713056240572802963828618049443011942","date":"2026-05-08T09:42:49+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"287416500668255756605087325074018219294","date":"2026-05-08T07:56:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"90877059766266227900925084032650969357","date":"2026-05-06T06:20:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"226621328100720185803609022261663298596","date":"2026-05-05T15:50:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"214088676241519848320019966453758630634","date":"2026-05-05T14:23:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-05-05T12:31:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-24T06:25:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-24T06:24:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Applied Sciences","date":"2026-04-03T14:44:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-applied-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Applied Sciences](https://link.springer.com/journal/42452)","snPcode":"42452","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/42452/3","title":"Discover Applied Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bea5628c-a694-46d0-ac80-364132cbbfe9","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-18T17:59:15+00:00","index":29,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-14T16:58:49+00:00","index":28,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-13T18:01:11+00:00","index":27,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"61828352979842130060023285144793689249","date":"2026-05-12T08:41:46+00:00","index":26,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-08T13:25:39+00:00","index":25,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"94713056240572802963828618049443011942","date":"2026-05-08T09:42:49+00:00","index":24,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"287416500668255756605087325074018219294","date":"2026-05-08T07:56:08+00:00","index":23,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"90877059766266227900925084032650969357","date":"2026-05-06T06:20:00+00:00","index":22,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"226621328100720185803609022261663298596","date":"2026-05-05T15:50:23+00:00","index":21,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"214088676241519848320019966453758630634","date":"2026-05-05T14:23:44+00:00","index":20,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"6","date":"2026-05-05T12:31:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-13T05:40:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-13 05:40:39","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9314136","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9314136","identity":"rs-9314136","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}